Kai's Choice
by Surrealtraversity
Summary: It was my choice, not theirs. Nothing they could have said would have stopped me. Sometimes something turns out the way you want it to, and comes back to bite you in the end. KaiXTala Oneshot


Okay, this is my first Beyblade storie. PLEASE review, I really want to know how I did on this one. I like it...

Warning: Oneshot, yaoi... do not flame me for that. If it's a signed flame, I will let Vasya retaliate. Unsigned flames will just be ignored and deleted. You have been warned. (In other words, if you don't have anything nice to say, then just please rant about it in your head and not to me. It's not good for my self-esteem! teehee)

Vasya- You're on a roll. Two stories in one week.

Shut it, Vasya. It's a new catagory, which means new readers. Which means... peope that don't know you. First impressions count, you know... Now be nice.

Vasya- How about... no.

Vasya, I'm warning you... don't make me start writing your story with you as a three-year-old.

Vasya- You wouldn't do that. That's an empty threat. You like me too much, and you know it.

You were sweeter as a kid. Now you're just mean.

Vasya- Yeah, but who's fault is that for giving me this "mean" personality, eh?

Touche... You know what, meanie? Just do the disclaimer. And try not to make people hate you, okay?

Vasya- FINE!

Disclaimer: She owns nothing. Not the characters (though she REALLY wants them... -cough cough-) and not... yeah. She owns nothing. Let's leave it at that.

* * *

This was my choice. _My_ choice, not theirs. Tala and the Bladebreakers are still convinced it was either _their_ fault (in the case of Tala), or they should have at least tried to _stop_ me (the Bladebreakers). But they couldn't have. Tala is the only person in the world that would have even stood a chance at stopping me.

Maybe that's why he blames himself so much. He knows that the only person I'd do anything for is him. But he wasn't even there when I left. He was still in the ICU after a rather vicious battle.

Actually, Tala is still in the ICU, though today is his last day before they move him. I'm there too, as a matter of fact. But only because Tala would scream in his sleep unless someone was holding his hand. Not just any someone, though. That worked for a while, but it eventually got to the point where if it wasn't me, he'd scream and eventually start thrashing, as the things from his past turned what were pleasant dreams into vivid nightmares. I don't know how he could tell, but Tala always knew when I was there or not.

So my days and nights were spent with Tala, mostly holding his hand and watching over him as he slept. I don't' mind in the slightest, though. It reminds me of one of the few fond memories of my childhood.

One particularly cold night, Tala sat on the end of my bed and pushed me persistently, trying to wake me up. "Kai, wake up. Wake _up_, you big oaf!" Tala said.

I groaned and rolled over to face him. "What do you want, Tala? I was asleep and doing perfectly fine, until you woke me up. I'm tired!"

Tala grinned sheepishly and pulled a small blanket that couldn't be doing much for warmth tighter around him. "I can't sleep," he said quietly, then blushed and turned away.

I sighed and pulled the blankets on my bed back. "Get in here, Tala," I said. He complied rather quickly. We had to squeeze together because not only was the bed small, it was getting colder.

After a while, Tala turned in my arms to face me. (I had to hold on to him to keep him from falling off the bed.) Tala brought a hand up and brushed my hair out of my eyes and smiled. "What?" I asked, as I yawned. Tala continued to smile.

"You lose the wall when you sleep," he whispered.

I gave him a confused look. "Tala, what are you talking about?"

"The emotional wall you build during the day; you lose it when you sleep, or are on the edge of sleep. It's nice; I can see everything and fall into an endless pool of feeling looking into your eyes now, unlike the brick wall I hit during the day. Do me a favor and lose the wall more often. I like it better gone." Without another word, Tala buried his face in my chest and fell asleep. We didn't acknowledge it for a long time, but I guess you could say that was when our relationship started.

"Kai… Kai…" I snapped out of my flashback and looked at the hand squeezing mine tighter than before, and looked at Tala's face. He was grinning at me. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes. Now come here," Tala said as he opened his arms. I hugged him, remembering to be careful of the injuries that were still healing. After a few minutes, Tala pulled away to look at me. "You look like you got mauled by a beaver," he laughed.

I laughed as well. That was my Tala. "Why a beaver?" I asked.

Tala shrugged. "It was the first thing that came to mind." Tala grinned again, but that grin quickly faded as he gazed towards the door. I turned and was surprised to see my grandfather, as he walked in slowly. Tala clutched my hand tighter.

"Hello boys," Voltaire said as he stood by the doorway.

"What do you want?" I asked venomously.

"Why Kai, I just wanted to give my condolences," he said with a smirk.

"Condolences for what?" I asked, as I looked at Tala. He was equally confused. "As you can see, Tala is fine."

"Not for Tala," he actually laughed. "For Ray!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Ray turned himself in for the bombing of the Abby and the death of Boris," Voltaire said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "He was executed ten minutes ago."

I sank back into my chair as the shock sank in. Ray was dead. He told me he wouldn't let me leave Tala if it was the last thing he did. I didn't think he meant literally.

I was shocked further when my grandfather decided to have one of those rare moments where he actually acts like a grandfather. Despite what people think, every once in a blue moon, probably about as often as the planets align, he acts like he cares. He walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder, in an almost comforting way. "Ray cared enough about the both of you to die so that you both would live, and be able to be together. Don't let his death be in vain." Without another word, he left just as he had come.

After several minutes, the shock for Tala seemed to ware off and he broke down into tears. I wiped them away as I moved to sit next to him on his bed and put my arm around him. "It's okay, Tala," I murmured softly.

"No it's not," he cried. "If I had stopped you from going to the Abby in the first place, Ray would still be alive!"

"Tala," I whispered sadly and kissed him. "My love, you were unconscious. There was nothing you could have done."

"I know," he sighed. "I still feel like this is my fault, though. If I hadn't been injured, we wouldn't be in this mess. I could have stopped you, then!"

"Tala, this was my choice, There was nothing you could have done," I said as I kissed him before he could reply. When we finally parted, Tala sighed and gripped my hand tightly.

"Kai, promise me something."

"Anything in the world," I said.

"Promise me you won't do anything that could get you killed or hurt or do anything that could possibly end badly and separate us like that could have ever again. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, Tala," I said.

"Kai, _promise_ me! For everything I just said," Tala said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"I promise, Tala. I'm not going anywhere. I couldn't leave you if I wanted to."

Tala grinned, and hugged me again. "I love you, Kai."

"I love you too, Tala. I love you too."


End file.
